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Record attendance at Primavera Sound

International acts as diverse as Arctic Monkeys, Björk, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds took to the stage

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04 June 2018 01:52 PM

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ACN | Barcelona

The first large-scale festival of the year, Primavera Sound, has come to an end – but not before turning 18 and beating its own attendance record from last year. Between 215,000 and 220,000 concert-goers came to the latest edition of the event, hailing from a full 126 different countries – making the event 60% international.

A long-awaited album and a never-before-seen pair

Some of the largest names to grace the festival lineup were the likes of Arctic Monkeys, who on Saturday night performed fan favorites like 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor' or 'Do I Wanna Know’ as well as pieces from their new album 'Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino,' an LP which broke five years of release silence.

That very same day also saw a performance by Jane Birkin, singing classics by her late husband and French-pop icon Serge Gainsbourg, accompanied by the Vallés Symphonic Orchestra. This is also the first time that Birkin was listed to perform at the same event as her and Gainsbourg’s daughter, singer-cum-actress Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Björk is back

More internationally-acclaimed musicians to draw this record amount of people include Icelandic sensation Björk, whose performance at the festival ends a six-year wait following a cancellation in 2012, as well as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The War on Drugs, Belle and Sebastian, Spiritualzed, and more.

This, alongside The National, Lykke Li, Warpaint, Kelela, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Sparks, who usually play alongside Franz Ferdinand in the FFS ‘supergroup.’ From a more local sphere also came Za!, as well Amaia and the Free Fall Band, and Maria Arnal i Marcel Bagés.

Held at the outdoor venue Barcelona Parc del Fòrum, performances also took place at the spaces of L’Auditori, CCCB and throughout the city of Barcelona. The record-breaking attendance largely surpasses the approximate 200,000 attendees from last year, an event estimated as being 55% international with concert-goers from 125 different countries.